In Friendship
by ElfFlame
Summary: Tonks leads a group of Order members to the Romanian Dracon Reserve to pick up some new order members. CWNT


A/N: New Round-Robin one-shot. Charlie/Tonks this time. Foodie did Charlie, and I did Tonks. We'd like to dedicate this to Charlie Weasley, whose birthday is tomorrow (12/12), according to JK's website.

Still not ours, but we do adore them.

In Friendship

By Foodie & Elf Flame

Tonks hated this. She hated not knowing what was going on. And she always felt like she didn't know what was going on these days. Particularly in the company she was keeping. Both Remus and Bill had insisted that she be in charge of their little expedition to Romania. Even though both of them were older than her, and it was Bill's own brother they were going to retrieve.

Of course, they weren't just going to pick up Charlie. They were going to pick up all of the people from the Reserve that Charlie had managed to recruit. They would also be transporting a small handful of dragons back with them. Dragons that the head of the Reserve had agreed to let Charlie take back to England.

Remus had refused to lead their little team citing the fact that he was a werewolf, and therefore could cause them more rather than less trouble as their leader. Bill had simply grinned and said that as a civilian, he had no real authority when it came to legal matters. Besides, he'd told her, surely she didn't want sibling rivalry to get in the way of the mission, did she?

But she knew there was something up. There had been several apparition jumps, with a good deal of distance to travel between each, and the two men had spent a great deal of time quietly talking behind her as she led the way to the next apparition point. Any time she would try to slow down and join in the conversation, the conversation had stopped, and the two men had grinned at her.

Well, fine, if they didn't want to tell her whatever it was that they were planning, she could deal with that. She'd find a way to worm it out of them later. Unfortunately, without the distraction of the ongoing plot against her, there was nothing to distract her from who she was about to see: Charlie Weasley. The one who got away.

She and Charlie had been in the same year at Hogwarts, and had even gone so far as to have a date once, which had been an utter disaster. She had hidden from him for the rest of their schooling, but she'd never truly gotten over him. He was so full of life and energy. How could she not adore him? And how was she going to get through this mission without making a fool of herself?

As they made their way through the Reserve gates, she took a deep breath. All she could do was focus on her mission. Even if it meant ignoring Charlie Weasley.

Charlie had been preparing for this day for several weeks now. Albus Dumbledore had sent him a request for assistance with the Order through Bill shortly after Voldemort's return, and he'd spent two years now recruiting as many people as he could. Albus needed dragons for the next phase of combat against Voldemort, and Charlie had vowed to help.

Among the eleven people he had managed to recruit from the Reserve were his best friend Davin Varikson and his former girlfriend, Marica Dahlke. Each of them were senior dragon handlers, and each would be responsible for one of the dragons they were taking back to Britain. They'd agreed that teams of four should be enough to control the beasts in almost any circumstance, particularly since each of the beasts they were being allowed to take had been hand-raised by the three of them since birth.

Albus had informed him that Tonks would be leading the group of Order members coming to escort him and his friends. Charlie was looking forward to seeing her again. It really had been too long since they'd last seen each other. He had such fond memories of her from their days at school together, and couldn't help but recall their one and only attempt at a date, which had turned out to be somewhat less than successful, but one that Charlie counted as one of his favourite memories.

Now that Tonks and the others were due to arrive, though, Charlie found himself feeling nervous. He had made sure to take a shower and shave himself properly before they came, and had made sure the kitchens had prepared enough food for them, because they were sure to be starving after such a long journey. Everything that could be was ready. So why did it feel like he'd swallowed a snitch?

Finally, two hours after sunset, right on schedule, the first report of brooms headed towards the compound arrived. The last leg of their journey would be done by flying, seeing as the Reserve was under so many charms as to make apparition impossible.

Charlie made his way to the top of the hill they were to land on and waved them in. Tonks was the first to arrive. Unfortunately, she overshot her landing. She crash-landed into Charlie, sending the two of them toppling halfway down the hill before they came to a halt.

Charlie coughed around a mouthful of grass, spitting out as much as he could and opened his eyes to see Tonks's wide eyes looking down at him. She was moving to sit up, and somehow managed to avoid elbowing him in the ribs as he moved out from under her. "Well Tonks, it's good to see that some things have not changed over the years," he groaned with a faint grin.

Tonks stood up before helping Charlie to his feet. "Sorry, Charlie. I feel like Jack and Jill," she replied while dusting herself off.

"Who?"

"Never mind. It's good to see you again, Charlie."

Damn, damn, damn, Tonks thought to herself. How hard could it be to just manage to make a good impression for once? She knew she was blushing, but at least it was dark enough to disguise it. If she could just make it through the next twenty-four hours, she could go back to the Ministry and forget this ever happened.

She watched jealously as Bill and Charlie greeted each other fondly with a hug and several slaps on the back. They seemed so comfortable with each other. Of course, all the Weasleys were like that. It was something she envied. Her folks weren't bad, but she'd always hated being an only child. Particularly when all her friends seemed to have at least one sibling each. And when she'd first heard about Charlie's family in first year, she'd almost drowned in jealousy. Six siblings. Imagine having that many playmates.

But her mother had always insisted that siblings weren't all they were cracked up to be, and she was better off as an only child. No matter how many times Tonks had disagreed. Of course, with her mother's taste in names, her would-be siblings were probably better off remaining would-be.

After greeting Remus as well, Charlie led them into the hall where dinner had been spread out for them. The rest of the people on the reserve had already eaten, and Charlie assured them that they'd meet the people going back with them in the morning. It was too late now, he told them. Dragon keepers woke with the sun, and therefore needed their sleep.

While they sat and ate their late supper, Bill and Remus took turns asking Charlie about someone named Marica, a girl he had apparently been dating off and on for a few years now. Tonks sighed quietly to herself at this, but listened intently to their questions, and even more intently to his answers all the same.

Charlie felt strange talking about Marica in front of Tonks. He could see that she seemed less than interested in the subject, and so tried to change topics several times, but Bill and Lupin seemed intent on hearing about his ex. Finally he told them to wait until the morning, and then they could meet her themselves, and refused to answer any more questions. Whatever their reason for grilling him about her, they seemed satisfied with this, and allowed him to finally change the subject.

When the group had finished eating, it was time for bed. As they all parted to go to their assigned rooms, Charlie watched with wide eyes as Bill walked up to Tonks and kissed her cheek. "Good night, love," he said suavely before walking away.

She seemed taken aback, but she also didn't try to stop Remus from wrapping his arms around her and pulling her towards him. "I'll miss you," he said quietly before letting go of her, kissing the tip of her nose, and walking away.

Charlie watched all of this with his jaw dropped open. What was going on here? "I never knew you were so close to them," he said with a growl when he'd finally regained the use of his vocal cords. He crossed his arms and began tapping his foot impatiently. "Which of them are you going out with now? Or are you dating both of them at once?" he couldn't help but ask.

"I don't see how that's any of your business," Tonks replied loftily. "Besides, you're too busy with your girlfriend to care."

Charlie frowned. Sure, he wasn't dating Marica anymore, but if she was going to be that way, she sure didn't deserve to know that. "I suppose you're right," he said tightly. "Anyway, it's late; I need to go to sleep. I'll talk to you in the morning, OK?" With that, he turned and left the kitchen. Tonks was a smart girl, he figured, she'll find her way to her room all right.

But he found it very difficult to fall asleep that night. He couldn't get the image of Bill kissing Tonks and Remus hugging her, out of his head. He didn't want to, but couldn't help but wonder what sort of arrangement they had. Did she date one of them one night and the other the next? Or were they into the whole threesome arrangement? Bill had never seemed like the kind of guy who'd go for that sort of thing, but maybe he'd changed over the last few years. The very idea of it made Charlie feel sick to his stomach. Just as he drifted off to sleep that night, he decided he'd have to have a little chat with his brother the next day.

Tonks couldn't help but giggle as she watched Charlie storm off. Bill's kiss had taken her aback, but she had recovered by the time Remus had pulled her into a hug. Before pulling away again, he had whispered into her ear, "Trust us," and it had been all she could do to keep a straight face when she saw the horror stamped plain as day on Charlie's face. And maybe she was fooling herself a bit, but she thought she might have even seen a flash of jealousy there before he'd stormed off. A girl could hope, right?

She started moving in the direction the other three had taken, but soon found that she had no idea where to go. There were so many doorways, and any of them could be the right room, but behind the rest were sleeping people. People she certainly didn't want to disturb. She bit her lip and glanced at the long hallway. She could wait and see if anyone got up to get a glass of water, but with her luck, no one would until morning. There had to be a better way to do this. She was an auror, damn it!

She was about to chalk it up as a lost cause and start trying doors when one of the nearer doors opened, and a girl about her own age came out, rubbing her eyes and yawning broadly. She had long fluffy black hair tied back in a pony-tail that made her tightly curled hair collect into a fluff of hair at the back of her head, and she wore flannel pyjamas in brown plaid. She turned in Tonks' direction, and started when she saw her there. The two looked each other over for several minutes before either of them spoke.

The girl stepped closer to Tonks so that she could talk quietly and not disturb anyone. "You must be one of Charlie's friends," she asked. Her voice was husky, though Tonks thought that this might be because she was speaking so quietly.

She nodded and held out her hand. "Tonks."

The girl grasped it and smiled. "Marica," she said.

"Marsha?" Tonks asked. The girl had such a lovely accent, yet the name sounded rather American.

"Marh-ees-ah," the girl said again, this time slower, so that Tonks could hear the difference.

And then Tonks recalled Bill and Lupin teasing Charlie about his girlfriend. This girl was dating Charlie. She managed a smile, and a muttered, "Good to meet you," then asked if Marica knew where her room was. The girl nodded, and led her down the hall, telling her that she looked forward to getting to know her much better on their return trip. Tonks nodded vaguely, and then closed the door quietly behind herself, telling herself that she was better than this, and she would not cry.

Charlie woke up the next morning with a headache, something he wasn't used to unless alcohol had been involved at some point in time the night before. After dressing for the day, he went down to the kitchen for breakfast. His head began to throb more intensely when he saw that the only occupants of the room were Bill, Tonks and Remus. Even worse, the two men were sitting on either side of Tonks. Bill was putting rashers of bacon on Tonks' plate while Remus poured her a glass of orange juice.

Charlie sat down across from Tonks and rubbed his forehead. It was going to be a very long day. "Hey Tonks, do you remember the night the three of us stayed up and watched the meteor shower?" Bill asked casually while elbowing her in the ribs.

"Oh yes, Bill, how could I forget? I was so tired the next day I could barely think straight!" Tonks said while grinning broadly.

"Here, Tonks, have some hash browns," Remus said while dishing some of the potatoes onto her already well-laden plate, "We have a big day ahead and need to keep our strength up," he said nonchalantly.

"Oh, Remus, that's so kind of you. You're always looking out for me like that," Tonks giggled. "I'm so glad I've gotten to know you so well," she said before leaning towards him to kiss his cheek.

Charlie watched this in horror. How could she do something like that in front of everybody? In front of him? He didn't think he could stomach any food that morning and quickly stood up to leave the room.

"Charlie, hold up!" Bill called out after him. "Don't go, we wanted to get all caught up with your life," he said while gently grabbing his brother's arm and leading him back to the table. "So, what have you been up to lately?" he asked when Charlie had sat back down.

"Not much," Charlie replied curtly, "Just taking care of the dragons, like I always do."

Bill grinned and sat back down next to Tonks. "That sounds really interesting, little brother. I can't wait to see you in action today. Aren't you excited to see Charlie in action today Tonks?" he asked while grinning down at her.

"I'm very excited. I'd love to see what you do every day," Tonks replied with a grin as she gazed at Charlie.

Charlie wasn't sure what to make of all this. His head was still throbbing and he couldn't seem to make sense of anything this morning. He stuffed a piece of toast into his mouth before sighing. "Look, I'm on early duty today, I need to get out of here. I'll talk to you guys later," he muttered while standing up and racing out the door. Hopefully, time with the dragons would soothe his nerves and his headache.

The moment Charlie left the room, Tonks turned on her companions. Sure, she'd enjoyed the attention, but really, she didn't want to upset Charlie. She knew how it felt. After all, she hadn't had the most peaceful of nights herself. So, it was with her most fearsome look that she turned on the other two. The one her father liked to call her "Black face."

"What on Earth did the two of you do that for? Chasing him away! I could have done that on my own, thank you very much. Either tell me whatever it is you're up to, or just leave me alone!" With one glance at their bemused faces, she jumped to her feet then stormed from the room.

She made her way out to the outer bailey of the enclosure. She could see flashes of some of the dragons from where she stood, but they were still a great distance away. She caught her breath when she saw a flash of shaggy red hair in one of the dragons' pens. Charlie was petting an enormous black dragon, almost as though it was a cat rather than a monster five times his size. And the dragon was reacting in much the same was as a pet. Perhaps not a house cat, but a Great Dane, maybe. Some animal that apparently thought itself much smaller than it actually was.

She was so caught up in watching Charlie with the dragon that she was startled by a voice right next to her. "Ah, Norbert's something, isn't he?"

She glanced over to see a young man, only slightly taller than herself with sandy blonde hair and pale grey-green eyes. She nodded noncommittally, but before she could turn away to watch Charlie and "Norbert" some more, the man stuck out his hand. "Davin Varikson. You must be Tonks. I've heard a great deal about you from Charlie. He was quite excited when he heard you would be leading the team to come pick us up." He grinned as she shook his hand firmly. "I begin to see why he was. Perhaps we could go inside and get to know each other better over a bit of coffee?"

Charlie rode on Norbert's back as he sailed through the yard. Norbert wouldn't allow anybody but him to do this, for which Charlie felt honoured. Flying always soothed his nerves; it's why he'd loved Quidditch so much in school. When he was in the air, the problems that plagued him on the ground no longer mattered. It was just him, Norbert, and silence. It was peaceful, and he would have stayed there forever if he could have.

After an hour or so, Charlie had to return Norbert to the reserve. It was time for him to give his friends a tour of the place. His stomach was in knots as he walked back to the kitchen, where the others would be waiting for him.

When he arrived in the kitchen, though, Tonks was the only one there. "Where's Bill and Lupin?" Charlie asked.

"They went ahead, with Marica. They said we should go on our own," Tonks replied sheepishly. She stood up quickly, kicking the leg of a chair in the process and stubbing her toe. "Ow!" she cried, leaning against the table to rub her foot. "Damn it!" she swore under her breath while blushing furiously.

Charlie sat down in the chair across from her. "Are you all right?" he asked, looking concerned.

"Oh, I'll be fine. Just my pride bruised, really. I'll just hobble around on the tour," she joked.

"Well, we shouldn't go on a long walk if your foot's hurt," Charlie replied.

"What should we do then?"

"I don't know. What do you want to do?"

"Well," Tonks worried her lip as she thought out loud, "we could have tea and talk for a bit, and then you could show me around. I get bangs like these all the time," she smiled sheepishly. "I'm sure I'll be fine in a flash."

Charlie tried to hide his grin. "Remember second year, in Flitwick's class, when you charmed the whole table to float, and it came crashing down on Damon Martin's foot?"

Tonks giggled. "That wasn't so bad as the time I accidentally upended the batch of lullaby potion all over Professor Snape," she grinned.

The two laughed for a moment, and then Charlie waved her back to her chair. "I'll make us some tea, all right?"

Tonks nodded, and sank gratefully back into the chair she'd vacated before bruising herself. She must have really dinged it this time. The pain didn't seem to be fading fast at all. "Have any licorice? Sometimes I find if I have a bite of sugar, the pain fades faster."

Charlie looked over his shoulder at her, his eyebrow raised. "You're joking, right?"

She shook her head. "Nope. Me mum used to do that for me every time I tripped over something. Course, it could just be a placebo effect, I suppose. I believe it works, so it does, you know?" she shrugged.

"Ah, well, whatever makes milady feel better…" he smiled at her, then dug around in the cupboards while the tea steeped, and came up with some chocolate biscuits, and some taffy pieces. He brought them over to the table on a plate, then hurried back to the pot, and poured out two cups of warm, steaming tea.

Charlie watched silently as Tonks drank her tea. In between sips, she'd eat a biscuit or a piece of taffy. He wasn't sure what to say right then, so he drank his tea in silence.

After several minutes, he'd worked up enough nerve to ask something that had been plaguing his mind all day. "So, it sounds like you really enjoy spending time with my brother and Lupin. Have you gone on many dates with them?" he asked calmly.

Tonks looked at Charlie with huge eyes. "Not really," she finally replied after a minute. "I do enjoy spending time with them though."

"Oh, I see," Charlie said before sitting up straighter in his chair. "Well it's good to know you've been having such a great time since I've been gone." With that, he stood up and walked over to the sink, dropping his tea cup into the ceramic base and watching as it shattered into millions of pieces. Realizing what he'd done, he pulled out his wand, and quickly repaired the damage, remaining standing at the sink, and looking away from Tonks, once he'd finished.

"I have fun with them, but not as much fun as we used to have," Tonks said quietly, staring at her now empty plate on the kitchen table. "I think I'd enjoy my time a lot more if you were there to spend it with me."

"You sound like you have plenty of people in your life without me," Charlie replied sadly.

"And what about you? You have friends and even a girlfriend without me here," Tonks replied, sounding upset.

"But that's not the same at all," Charlie replied stubbornly.

"And why not?" Tonks stood up and walked over to him, looking him clearly in the eye.

"Because…it's…just not," he said stupidly.

"Great answer Charlie! You know what? I think I'll just take myself on a tour of the reserve. You just stay here and clean up. Thanks for the tea," Tonks said in a low voice before turning on her heel and walking out of the room.

Charlie sighed. What was his problem?

Tonks slammed the door as she left the hall. What was wrong with him? Accusing her of having a fine old time with his brother and Lupin, when here he was with a girlfriend. He certainly had no right to throw stones. Was she not allowed to date anyone?

So, when Davin appeared at her side, she was quick to take his offer of a tour of the Reserve. At least he was friendly. No accusations from him. At one point, Davin was going over the list of all the different kinds of dragons he'd worked with here at the Reserve when Charlie appeared across the empty paddock Davin had been showing her. Pretending she hadn't seen him, Tonks leaned closer to Davin and giggled. Not that she had any idea what he'd been saying, but she certainly didn't want Charlie thinking she was suffering without him.

She watched out of the corner of her eyes as his eyes narrowed when Davin put his arm around her waist, and she turned fully away from Charlie to brush her lips against Davin's cheek.

"You're so sweet for doing this, Davin. My tour-guide fell through, and I thought I'd have to see everything all alone. You've been so sweet."

Davin grinned down at her. "Yeah, well, my motives may not have been entirely pure…" He leaned down, and their lips brushed together before she felt a hand on her arm, and they were torn apart…

Charlie seemed to have lost his mind as he began to charge across the paddock to where Tonks and Davin were talking. When Davin leaned down to kiss Tonks, Charlie broke into a run. He wasn't even thinking when he reached out and grabbed Tonks by the arm, pulling her away from Davin. "What the hell are you doing?" he cried angrily at Davin, "After all I've told you? How could you?"

Davin grinned impishly. "Relax Charlie, it was only a friendly kiss," he replied.

"Yes, a friendly kiss first and then what? You move the tour to your bedroom to give her a private viewing of your-" Charlie said before being cut off.

"It's not as though you're going out with her," Davin interrupted, "And she was more than willing to participate."

Charlie whipped around to look at Tonks, who was watching the scene unfold in silent shock. "I never knew you were so loose," he hissed. "Bill, Lupin, and now him?" he asked jerking a thumb in Davin's direction. "You should consider doing that professionally, at least then you'd make some money doing what you seem to enjoy so much," he said without thinking. The moment the words left his mouth, he wished he could take them back. He saw her eyes grow wide, and could see the pain flash across her face.

Charlie sighed and looked at the ground, flushing with shame. "I shouldn't have said that, Tonks. I'm so sorry. I won't ask you to forgive me, cuz that's not fair. I…I…I need to get out of here. I'm sorry," he muttered before turning and running away from the scene.

It was good he had run, because her hand was just itching to slap him. And before Tonks knew it she was speeding after him. She wouldn't let him get away with this. When she caught up to him halfway across the field, she swung him around by his arm.

"Charles Weasley! How dare you?"

She knew her control was gone, but she wouldn't take this any more.

"How dare you accuse me of anything, let alone that? How dare you suggest that you have any interest in me, when you have a girlfriend of your own? How dare you even think about interfering in my life? What I do is none of your business, got it? If I want to kiss a thousand guys, that's up to me, isn't it?"

Charlie hadn't met her eyes through the entire tirade, wincing at some of the accusations, and looking even more bereft at others. But she wasn't going to let him get away with it any more. He couldn't just try to control her life. He'd given up that chance a long time ago.

"If you have something to say, Charlie, why don't you just say it, instead of accusing me of such horrible things?"

For the first time since she had caught up to him, he met her eyes. There was a moment of silence, and then his arms were around her, and their lip met in a bruising kiss.

Charlie felt like his body had become one of the twins' fireworks when he began kissing Tonks. After a minute, he broke away from her mouth and began kissing her cheeks, chin, forehead, and neck, his whole body on fire. "Tonks, Tonks," he whispered in between kisses. "Why didn't we do this in school?" he asked between kisses.

Tonks wrapped her arms around his waist and held him tightly against her body, kissing Charlie whenever he gave her an opportunity. "Charlie, I've wanted to do this since our stupid date in sixth year," she gasped while he nibbled on her neck.

Charlie moved away from Tonks's neck and back to her mouth. "You should have," he whispered into her mouth, feeling her tremble in response. He pressed his lips against hers and kissed her as though she was going to disappear soon and this was his last chance at ever seeing her again. After a minute, he slipped his tongue into her mouth, entwining it with hers. He moaned softly in her mouth while moving his hands to run them through her soft long black curls.

Charlie couldn't help but realize that this had gone beyond some lustful desire for Tonks. Sure he wanted her, but even when he'd known her in school, there had been something there. Now he realized exactly what that something more was. He loved her. He'd never really been able to put it into so many words before, but he knew it now. He'd been afraid of losing her to all those other men she'd been parading around with. But now, Charlie knew he wanted to be with her, and love her, and be loved by her. Nothing else mattered anymore.

"Tonks, I love you," he whispered after breaking away from her mouth. "I love you so much."

"Charlie Weasley, you're late in feeding the dragons," a sharp feminine voice called out next to the happy couple.

Charlie and Tonks turned to see Marica standing next to them, hands on hips, tapping her foot angrily. Her face was red and she looked as though she was trying to restrain herself from tearing Tonks's eyes out.

Charlie took a deep breath before responding. "Marica, hi…" he stammered.

Tonks looked from Charlie to Marica, and blushed scarlet. "I…uh…" And with that, she turned and ran from the yard. She didn't stop until she'd made the safety of her room. God, how stupid could she get? Making out with a guy in public, especially a guy that already had a girlfriend. What was she thinking?

There was a tap on the door that tore her from these thoughts. She wasn't sure she wanted to know who it was, but she hadn't become an auror for no reason, and she was still a Gryffindor at heart. She was relieved to find Remus waiting for her when she opened it. "Hi," he said with a smile.

She tried to smile, but managed nothing more than a grimace. "Hey, Remus. Did you need something?"

"You don't look like a girl who's just kissed the man of her dreams," he said worriedly.

Tonks snorted miserably. "Who said that happened to me?"

"You didn't just kiss Charlie out on the field? It's the talk of the complex. He and Marica just had a major row about it."

Tonks closed her eyes. Great. Now she felt even worse. "Look, Remus, just tell Marica I'm sorry, all right?" She moved to close the door, but Remus was too quick for that, and blocked the door with his foot.

"Why would I do that, Tonks? What's wrong? I thought you liked Charlie. Bill said he was sure of it. Were we mistaken?"

"No. You weren't mistaken. But it's not exactly kosher to go stealing other girls' beaux," she said miserably.

"Tonks…you think they're dating?"

Tonks's head snapped up at that. "But you and Bill asked him about his girlfriend…They're not…I mean, I thought…"

Lupin grinned. "Would we steer you wrong, Tonks?"

"How could you kiss that girl?" Marica cried shrilly.

"Oh, come off it, Marica, we broke up weeks ago!" Charlie replied as he walked towards the dragon paddock to feed the hungry beasts.

"But I thought we had something special between us still," she said.

"Well you were wrong. We did have something special, but that ended when you broke up with me, remember?"

"You were being so possessive of me; I had to break it off with you."

"And now that you see me with another girl you realize you were wrong? Is that it?"

"Not entirely. I really think we have a good chemistry together."

"Well we aren't going out anymore, Marica, and I have good chemistry with Tonks too. I've known her since I was a kid. I care for her, and she doesn't play games the way some people do. I've had feelings for her for quite a while, and I'm free, and she's free, so I honestly don't see a problem with it," Charlie said as he entered the paddock and began to open the cages with animals in them for the dragons to feed on. He slowly unlocked the doors, allowing the beasts to roam freely in the corral before the hungry dragons swooped down and grabbed them with their sharp talons, carrying them off to their nests to feast upon. It was not a very pleasant task to do, so the keepers took turns doing it.

"I don't think you ever loved me!" Marica cried shrilly. "I think you were just using me to replace her! I can't believe you used me that way. I hate you Charles Weasley, and I hope I never see you again!" With that, she reached out and slapped Charlie across the cheek, turned on her heel, and marched off, back to the reserve.

Charlie sighed as he looked at the animals wandering in the corral. He couldn't help but wish, only for a moment, that one of the dragons would mistakenly pick him off, if only so he didn't have to go back inside the reserve and deal with this anymore. Finally, with a deep breath, he gave in. "Women," he muttered before walking out of the paddock.

He walked in silence for several minutes before stumbling upon Bill, who was sitting on a rock, looking thoughtful. "What are you doing here?" he asked while sitting down next to his older brother.

"I heard what happened. I wanted to make sure you were OK," Bill replied.

"You're sure you don't want to beat me up for kissing your girlfriend?"

Bill grinned and shook his head. "She's not my girlfriend, little brother. Lupin and I just did that to sort of…help the process along. You can be quite stubborn at times, you know," he said, chuckling.

Charlie looked at him with wide eyes. "That was all a set up? That was so cruel!"

"But it worked, didn't it?"

"Well, yes, but…"

"Then it was worth it."

"I suppose," Charlie admitted reluctantly. "Bill?"

"Yes?"

"You suck!" Bill laughed.

Dinner was a quiet affair. Most of the rest of the Reserve had grabbed food and hidden in their rooms, trying to avoid the fallout. Davin was on one side of the room, glowering at Charlie, Marica was on the other, glowering at both Charlie and Tonks, Charlie was avoiding everyone's eyes, and Tonks was glowering at Bill and Remus in turns.

Finally, after the third exasperated sigh from Marica, Charlie stood up. "Look, Marica. I'm sorry you think we still have something, but we don't. If we did, why do we never manage to last beyond a month before we break up again?" Then he turned to Davin. "And as for you, I don't know what's stuck in your craw, but I believe I told you that Tonks and I dated once."

Davin's eyes flashed at this. "Yes. Once. Once does not mean proprietary claim, friend. She was willing. It was you who was unable to grasp that she might be interested in me. What is it about you that makes you think that you have more right to all the best girls, hm? Just because we're friends doesn't mean I'll back off of every girl you so much as give the eye to."

Charlie snorted. "Give the eye to? Dav, the only girl I ever asked you to stay away from was one I had been dating at the time." He stopped suddenly, and cast a glance across the room to where Marica was sitting, now glowering down at her plate, and Tonks could see his expression suddenly shift. He turned back to Davin slowly. "Dav, you do realize that she's not off-limits, right?"

Tonks watched this, totally confused, and with rising despair. Was Charlie telling Davin that he could date her? She didn't want Davin, she wanted Charlie! Why would he yell at her, and at Davin, and say the things he had said if he was going to back off?

"Charlie, what are you saying?" she asked.

But Davin's gaze had turned to Marica.

Charlie walked over to Tonks and put his hand on her shoulder. "May I talk to you in private?" he asked quietly while Marica looked up to meet Davin's gaze. Tonks stood up and followed him out of the room and into the dimly lit hallway. Charlie took one of her hands in one of his and squeezed it lovingly.

"Tonks, I love you, and I want to be with you," he said before leaning in to kiss her cheek.

"I love you too, Charlie, but what about the others?" Tonks asked.

"I think they'll be fine on their own," Charlie replied, glancing over his shoulder to see Davin moving to sit down next to Marica.

Tonks looked towards the kitchen and saw them sitting together before grinning and throwing her arms around Charlie. She pressed her lips to his while Charlie held onto her tightly, returning her kiss. "So, can you show me the best place to go to watch the dragons fly at night?" she asked after a few minutes.

"It's pretty cold this time of night," Charlie said, kissing Tonks's cheek.

"So we'll bring a blanket. And I'm sure we can think of ways to stay warm," Tonks replied, wriggling her eyebrows impishly.

Charlie grinned. "That works for me," he chuckled.

"You know, we're leaving in the morning to fly back to Britain."

"Then we'll have to make sure we get plenty of sleep tonight. It's a long trip back, with all the dragons and all the others helping us."

"Can I fly by your side?"

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

With that, Charlie and Tonks walked off to find a blanket to take outside with them. They spent a very pleasant evening in one another's company. The next day, when the group left together, the two flew off towards Britain, Charlie holding Tonks tightly against himself as he gave her her very first dragon-flying lesson. She enjoyed it very much, though she enjoyed his hands around her waist even more.

* * *

Friendship often ends in love; but love in friendship--never  
--Charles Caleb Colton 


End file.
